Awaiting Judgment
by NowFadestheForest
Summary: Hiro saved Abigail, but he also sent Callaghan to prison. Now the time for the trial has come. With nothing better to do, Callaghan contemplates Hiro's actions in the last battle.


The judge looked down on Callaghan with a disinterested look on her face. Though the trial had only been going on for about an hour, it was clear that she had already made her decision. She was a slightly plump woman with short brown hair. She wasn't exactly beautiful. At least not in his eyes. But considering he was being sent to prison by her, he was probably biased.

Looking at the jury didn't help him either. He could easily see their dislike of him.

He saw no point in listening to what was going on around him. He had already lost, and he wasn't sure he minded. He would find his way out of this situation.

He had called himself Yokai. He had attempted to murder someone and destroyed a building. And he would do it all over again if it meant his daughter would be all right in the end. But the slight look of fear in her eyes when she looked at him now was unbearable.

He didn't feel particularly guilty though. It was not without reason that people called him ruthless and deranged. And he knew it. He had named himself Yokai after all. Because that is what he was. A monster. Nothing less and nothing more. A monster that wouldn't hesitate to kill or harm hundreds for vengeance against one man. He didn't even mind being a monster.

But his plan hadn't succeeded. He didn't gain his vengeance. And it was that damn kid's fault. Tadashi's little brother. What was his name again? Hiro? Yes, that sounded right. That stupid child beat him. That brat ruined all his plans for revenge against Krei. And then he saved Abigail. He had to go and be the fucking hero and now Callaghan didn't even know what to think. Though he probably should have expected that he could be beaten. The thought didn't even occur to him before his microbots were sucked into the portal. In the end, the "Hiro" beats the "Yokai" and everyone lives happily ever after. Except for the monster. He got to go to jail for the rest of his life. Perfect.

He didn't plan to stay in jail though. No, he didn't have his microbots. No, he had no idea how he was going to get out. But that didn't matter. He just needed to use that big brain of his. He was a professor. It's not like he was stupid. He would get out eventually. He could find contacts in the prison. Make a few new "friends". They wouldn't hesitate to help as long as they got out too. And some of them might be useful later. Nevertheless, he would abandon these new "friends" should the need arise during the escape. As usual.

But what was he going to do when he got out? Visit his daughter? He would like to talk to her. Explain himself. He didn't want her to look at him with that disapproving look. It was so much like her mother.

And he could see the fear in her eyes. Fear of him. Instead of the adoration that used to be there. He hated it. He hated it every time she looked at him. If he visited her, he would keep his distance and just watch. Yeah, he would stalk his own daughter. Surprised?

He would keep her safe. But she couldn't know that, because she would look at him with those disdainful eyes. And most likely call the police. So he would keep his distance.

Maybe he could try to get revenge on Hiro for beating him and getting him into this mess. If not for Hiro, then no one would know that Robert Callaghan was still alive, and no one would know that he was Yokai. But Hiro also saved his daughter. He kind of felt like he owed him something. Odd.

He didn't understand Hiro's motivation for saving Abigail. Hiro didn't know her. Hiro's brother died trying to save Callaghan - her father. But Callaghan had already saved himself, and didn't respond when he heard Tadashi calling for him. He didn't react even when he heard Tadashi bang on his protective bubble of microbots. He didn't care when he heard him scream as he burned. He didn't care that no one would be able to recover Tadashi's body after the building exploded. He was Yokai. The only thing he cared about was his daughter. And he finally had the ability to avenge her. He could kill Krei without anyone ever knowing that it was him. He just had to fake his own death. So he wouldn't save Tadashi. Because that would be a waste of such a perfect opportunity to get his revenge.

Hiro knew this. And yet he still saved Abigail. He didn't understand. An eye for an eye right? A daughter for a brother? It seemed fair to him. Even though he would always appreciate Hiro's choice to save Abigail, he would never understand it. Hiro gained nothing from saving Abigail. Rather the opposite. He lost his inflatable robot friend. Unless he had taken the healthcare chip with him out of the portal. Callaghan didn't know and didn't care beyond a minor curiosity. Unless he managed to escape since they might become a problem then.

So why did Hiro save Abigail? Callaghan suspected that he would never know. Though if he got out of prison and met Hiro again, he would definitely ask him. Just out of curiosity of course. If Hiro refused to or couldn't answer, Callaghan could simply threaten to reveal his identity to the public masses. Unless they already knew of course. He wasn't sure how Hiro expected his identity to be a secret when all he was wearing was a glass helmet. And that robot wasn't exactly inconspicuous either. Hiro was also the one who revealed that Yokai was Callaghan. It was the perfect revenge! Secret identity for secret identity

However, Callaghan also felt like he kind of owed Hiro for saving his daughter. If he left Hiro's secret identity alone, he would have repaid his debt completely. Hiro ignored his revenge, so Callaghan would ignore his own revenge too. He wouldn't leave a loose end that way. It was ideal. Both sides of the equation amounted to the same thing. They would be even. Mostly anyway. Hiro did still destroy all of his microbots and had his robot attack him in the portal testing area. There was that to consider too. Though Callaghan would not reveal Hiro's identity and thus repay his debt, there were still a lot of other things to take revenge for. And he didn't owe the rest of the team anything at all.

But for now he would have to bide his time. He would have to take one step at a time. It was no use planning revenge when he was locked up. He wouldn't have a way to carry out his plans after all. So the first step he would have to take, would be a prison break. Might be interesting. But he had to be cautious too. He could not afford to underestimate the authorities. Once he got out, he could make some more microbots in a warehouse somewhere. So he wouldn't have to worry about being on the run.

The judge was still looking down on him. The jury still disliked him. No matter what he said, he would end up in prison. He could see it on their faces and in their body language. So an escape plan would be necessary. "Friends" would be necessary. Especially if they knew how to get things. Though for now, all he could do was await his judgment. And that was extremely boring.


End file.
